Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-11-12
Special Corr-spondence.l
p.pvS Eraa,., n.S %

French women are never seen, where the can
can is a feature, and where vice is spelled
with big '. One to whom l spoke in some
surprise about this replied to this effect:
'Oh, of course: | wouldn't think Of going
to such a place at home, but its all right in
Paris, and must be taken in as one of the
orthodox sights of the city"
But Paris is beautiful, and I am reminded
by her beauty and wickedness of Messalira,
whose marble face in the Vatican is fatrer
than that of any woman, living or dead,
have seen on the continent can scnrcely
give the record of Messalina in public print,
but those who know it will, think, agree
with me in calling Paris the Messs,lina of
cities
Whats the use of jumping on Paris in
that styleY, asks Dickey, and l am con.
strained to repeat the question to myself and
pause Tor reply.
Somebody has got to be slIpremely wicked.
and if Paris wants the distinction lie. her
have it. Eat, drink and be merry, for to-
morrow We die, and after death comesl-
l find that my American French is TO.
worth shucks as a medium for the expression
of thought in France, and it is even worse to
grasp what is said to me- Nv ear is not so
WA NAeNaeSu as anu Wuen
manage to get question asked intelliCently
l am completely knocked out by the answer.
A policeman, with real French politeness.
tumbled TO that fact the other day, and
when he couldn't tell me what wanted to
know he ii: he'd out a pencil and paper and
wrote it for me as if had been deaf 1t an
swered the purp sc and my question, though,
and was correspondinGiy grateful
Men,: Learn TO read French, which is
really easy, and when you visit France pre-
tend that you are deaf.
l met man the other day-an American
something I've done n million times, l pre-
sumo, in my long and uneventful career. and
he began to plume himself on his superior
knowledge, as men do often when there's .
woman in the case We went out to buy
G'oves. Giants is the French for gloves,
which are cheap in Paris, and be took me
sy several places, because, as he said, We
could find something better. Finally We went
il to a shop and he began to spread
i've noticed in every window" said he,
'that Gant's gloves are advertised more than
any other, and l think you had better get
them"
who's Gantr said I, innocently.
'Oh," said he, wisely, ":::e is a prominent
glove manufacturer, l suppose, as sec his
name in every glove shop in town"
may say in conclusion that made enough
by buying Gant's gloves to buy a French die
tionary and send to that man.
Except in gloves and certain ARTICLES Of
Paris" or '.specialties," Paris is not a cheap
,,!ace to make purchases, and my experience
.las taught me never to go into a shop which
las a window display with the prices not
plainly marked on each article.
Paris has two leading picture galleries, the
louvre and the Luxembourg; the latter de-
voted to French masters Of the modern
school, under certain restrictions The
Louvre has fourteen miles Of art, they say, in
Guiding little Of everything, by everybody,
and among the pictures it is astonishing how
many Of them the amateur connoisseur Is
able to forget. In every gallery have seen
there has always been at least one picture
that makes lasting impression, but in the
Louvre that one has been wanting in nv
c,se, and all can remember is long vista
u red and blue and flesh tints and gilt
frames Among the brighter, fresher pic
lures Of tho Luxembourg, l find different re-
suits, and though my opinion in art may not
be of weight, am willing to wager q cham
pagne cork that of the 100 or 2,0O0 Of Anieri-
cans who have seen each gallery the great
majority will vote with me, as against the
old master variety of art. It's heresy, no
doubt, but / think art needs q Martin Lu-
ther, and I am paving the way for him as far
as is in my power.
Itook Dickey down ninety feet under the
city in the catacombs, the other day, where
6,OO0, 900 skeletons of defunct Parisians are
ranked up ike cord wood, with the skulls
and crossbones put in fantastically for orna-
ment, hoping it would have sedativc effect
upon her; but the only result have observed
was remark to the point that, although the
catacombs was hardly the basement kitchen
Of Paris, it still might properly be called the
skullery.
We are once moro in the land Of visible
newspapers, which we have not been Stree
leaving Rome. It's little queer about news
papers and their sellers. In Germany, where
more persons can read than anywhere else
probably m the world, don't think l ever
saw paper offered for sale by newsboys on
the street as in our own cities; but down in
Naples, where fewer persons can read than
anywhere else in the civilized world, the wild
frenzy with which men and boys chased
aSund yelling newspapers was appalling
We found them plenty, but less vociferous, il
| Rome, and after that Florence, Milan, Venice
Vienna, Berlin, Leipsic, Frankfort, Alnster
| dam ard Brussels, as l say, don't remember
| Of seeing any offered for sale except at tn,
"kiosks," little circular newsstands, some
! thing like detached mentor turret with
dome ON topof it.
Where the newsboy prevails you will al.
tind his confrere, the bootblack, but nowher
IL such profusion as you find him in Anne
can cities OF course the train boy with yea
before Last apples ami peanuts and paper i
an imioss,hiiity, owing to the compartment
! car, which no train boy, however much gal
I be NAV have, has the hardihood to attempI
| TO manipulate This is the only redeeming
| trait Of the compartment car as compared
with our open enders.
| want to say few words about men,
clothing, and Paris is good place to say il
! from. because the men in Paris dress about
as iniarmoniously as any ever saw, not ex
cepting the American politicians who con.
stitute the winter army at Washington One
can see in an hour in the most fashionable
promenades of Paris collection Of silk hats
that would paralyze the well dressed Lon
doner or New Yorker; and as for coats and
trousers, their cut is abominable. The best
evidence that the French are had tailors il
the number Of signs bearing the legends
american tailor or English tailor" to be
seep in nearly every stTsat- Bad fits sem tc